Best Credit Cards of 2025

Your shortcut to the best credit cards for you

Our Nerds researched more than 300 credit cards, narrowing down to just one winner per category.

Find a top credit card — fast

Click the categories you’re interested in to see the winners.

WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

This $0-annual-fee card earns an impressive 3% back on dining and at grocery stores, as well as on select streaming and entertainment. You'll also get 5% back on select travel through Capital One. Its flexible redemption options and lack of foreign transaction fees make it a great traveling companion.

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WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

For a modest fee, you’ll get access to rich rewards in many categories, plus multiple transfer partners, an annual hotel credit, anniversary points and a big sign-up bonus.

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WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

This card’s long 0% intro APR on balance transfers (up to 21 months), low transfer fee and lack of late fees make it a standout choice.

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WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

You’ll get 2% cash back on all purchases and a rich sign-up bonus with a single card. That’s market-leading and makes this card a smart one for everyday spending.

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WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

Several cards earn 3% back at restaurants, but this one also offers that rate at grocery stores, as well as on entertainment and eligible streaming services. Its lack of an annual fee or foreign transaction fee makes it hard to beat.

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WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

An industry-leading rewards rate at U.S. supermarkets makes it worth the annual fee. Generous rewards in other categories just add to the appeal. Terms apply.

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WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

This card earns solid rewards on gas and restaurants and even comes with a bonus offer for new cardholders. Better yet: You can get approved with no credit history.

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WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

This card offers ideal features for its category, like no annual fee and automatic reviews for a potential upgrade to an unsecured card. It even earns rewards.

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WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

With its high cash-back rates on U.S. online retail purchases, this card can help you finance big-ticket items. Plus, you can use your card immediately after approval, making it useful in emergencies. Terms apply.

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WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

It's a versatile card, but use it just for gas and you’ll earn an impressive 5% back per billing cycle, up to $500 spent — for no annual fee.

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WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

This card’s hefty rewards and useful transfer partners give it outsized value for no annual fee. Plus, its lack of foreign transaction fees means it's ideal for international travel.

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WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

For a modest fee, this card gives you free checked bags, lounge passes, priority boarding and a credit for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS. Plus, you’ll earn elevated rewards on dining and select travel expenses.

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WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

This card’s bonus categories, free night award and sign-up bonus more than make up for its $95 annual fee. Plus, Marriott’s massive footprint makes it easy to redeem rewards no matter where you’re headed.

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WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

Straightforward rewards (1.5% back on all purchases), a long intro APR period, no annual fee and a generous welcome offer make this card an easy choice for any business. The cherry on top: Cash back is earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards®, which makes the benefit more flexible, and potentially more valuable, than rewards from other top-rated business cards.

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WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

This card’s $395 annual fee is easily offset with a yearly travel credit, anniversary bonus and lounge access. Plus, with 2X miles on most purchases, you’ll easily earn rewards no matter how you spend your money.

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WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

This card earns a massive 4% back on a wide variety of entertainment expenses, like concerts and sporting events, plus public transportation, secondhand shops and some self-care purchases.

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WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

This card earns a whopping 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions. Plus, the yearly statement credit on the Disney Bundle nearly offsets its $95 annual fee. Terms apply.

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WHY OUR NERDS LOVE IT

This card earns an impressive 3% back on U.S. online retail purchases (on up to $6,000 in spending per year), making it a great choice for digital shopping. It also features U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations as bonus categories. Terms apply.

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Frequently asked questions

NerdWallet's award winners are chosen through a rigorous evaluation process involving 44 writers and editors. NerdWallet's ratings formulas for credit cards, for example, consider the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel, or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards, and other features. For mortgages, we evaluate loan average rates and fees, loan types and products, online rate information, ease of application and other factors. For more info, see our methodologies.

Our team of nerdy experts is composed of writers and editors — based all across the country — who have a combined 546 years of journalistic experience reviewing and writing about personal finance products for consumers.

Yes. Writers and editors use comprehensive scoring formulas that assess each financial product’s key features, weighting them according to their importance to consumers.

Nope. Editorial team members are solely responsible for creating all product reviews and ratings, and these assessments reflect their opinions alone. Only products that meet the editorial team’s standards appear in our Best-Of Awards lists, meaning no company can “buy” an award.

Our Best-Of Awards are given annually to the top financial products on the market. Our other “best” articles may:

• be longer than our Best-Of Awards list
• offer additional consumer choices
• get updated as products change or are discontinued and as new products emerge

This year's Best-Of-Awards list winners were chosen in mid-October 2024.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Writers and editors use comprehensive scoring formulas that assess each financial product’s key features, weighting them according to their importance to consumers.